Thought for the day: Why does Prince Harry need to antagonize the Taliban?

posted at 9:31 am on January 24, 2013 by Allahpundit

A minor classic via Newsbusters. This is stupid, yes, but not for the reason it seems at first blush. I don’t think Jones is saying that NATO troops, who’ve spent more than 11 years killing the Taliban, should fret about hurting their feelings. I think she’s saying that Harry’s already enough of a target that it’s reckless to give terrorists any extra motivation to find him. It’s the same argument, essentially, as the White House gives for why it won’t release the Bin Laden death photos. Taunting the other team from the end zone arguably does more for their morale than for yours. (The Taliban’s actual reaction to Harry’s interview was surprising, less angry than smug.)

The real reason this is stupid is that there’s a painfully obvious answer to the question. Namely, that Harry talking about his experience in the British military killing jihadis is the best press the royal family has had in ages. Quote:

Asked before he left Afghanistan if he had killed insurgents during his tour, he said: “Yeah, so, lots of people have. … Yes, we fire when we have to, take a life to save a life, but essentially we’re more of a deterrent than anything else.

“If there’s people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we’ll take them out of the game, I suppose,” the second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana said in one of several interviews released to the media…

Harry’s job as an Apache co-pilot was to man its weapons system when his 662 Squadron unit flew sorties in support of ground troops fighting Taliban or accompanying other helicopters on missions to evacuate casualties…

“Yes, you get shot at. But if the guys who are doing the same job as us are being shot at on the ground, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us [Prince William and himself] being shot at as well. People back home will have issues with that, but we’re not special.”

Most royal “news” has to do with Kate Middleton’s hair or whatever. This guy flies Apaches under fire in Afghanistan and gives a winningly egalitarian explanation for why he’s willing to do it and somehow his comment comparing his duties to video games is proof that he’s “jumped the shark”? What?

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It’s the same argument, essentially, as the White House gives for why it won’t release the Bin Laden death photos. Taunting the other team from the end zone arguably does more for their morale than for yours.

Except when running for a second term. Then “Thanks to Obama, GM is alive and Osama is dead” becomes an often repeated sentiment no matter how much it taunts the enemy.

I know! Let’s nominate another moderate Republican who ignores and insults a large portion of his base. It’s just GOTTA work this time.

DrAllecon on January 24, 2013 at 9:16 AM

The field is being cleared for Jeb Bush, and Paul is making people nervous. The GOP leadership is starting to roll out the “get Palin” toolset to see if they can apply it against Paul and knock him out early.

That panel of halfwits couldn’t identify a real Apache helo if it were lined up next to a bunch of Lego choppers, why would anyone listen to them on anything military is a mystery to me.

Stick to discussing the Kardashians or the new judges on Idol, that’s about all these idiots can intellectually handle.

Bishop on January 24, 2013 at 9:39 AM

That panel is more likely to take the US Military to task for naming a weapons platform after a tribe of native Americans. But you are right. The activities of Honey Boo Boo are more their speed than any legitimate discussion about the Taliban or military operations.

And BTW, I do have confidence that they’d be able to identify the Lego choppers. They’re the ones manned with the pilots with the same fake face as all of them.

Why not taunt the enemy. Taunting can get them to make stupid mistakes, expose themselves.

I remember something from Iraq, I believe, where our soldiers would yell insults through loudspeakers at an enemy position, the enemy soldiers would get enraged and start running down the street straight into the teeth of the U.S. lines. Quick and easy way to clear out a nest of savages.

Harry is no more or less a target because of his actions. Does anyone really think if he were to remain docile he would be less of a target? The enemy would love to have his head either way, any way they could acquire it.

This guy flies Apaches under fire in Afghanistan and gives a winningly egalitarian explanation for why he’s willing to do it and somehow his comment comparing his duties to video games is proof that he’s “jumped the shark”? What?

Guys Harry’s age were brought up on video games and probably still spend a lot of time playing them in their young adult years. I am sure his training as a gunner requires spending a lot of time honing skills that are appropriate to video games as well. Just a guess, I don’t know. His analogy is probably quite appropriate for the particular job he does in present day, high tech conflict from the air.

Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola and three other Marines at Camp LeJeune allegedly appeared in a video urinating on three dead Afghans. Deptola is also accused of posing for pictures with the dead bodies, failing to report misconduct and not supervising junior Marines adequately.

This guy flies Apaches under fire in Afghanistan and gives a winningly egalitarian explanation for why he’s willing to do it and somehow his comment comparing his duties to video games is proof that he’s “jumped the shark”? What?

I am sure that Prince Harry was trained to fly an Apache on a simulator. The military even uses simulators to train tank drivers these days. And, this panel is outraged that Prince Harry is playing a video game? The panel doesn’t have a thread of credibility. Don’t they know we are at war with the Taliban………… and, Karzai for that matter.

The prince has gone out into the real world and demonstrated that he’s no hothouse flower … unlike that claque of nattering nitwits who worry that he might have “antagonized the Taliban”. How is it possible to further “antagonize” a people whose stated purpose is to kill all the people aren’t them?

He’s the second son of royalty. Traditionally, the military or the clergy is supposed to be his path anyway. Also, given how much trouble he gets himself into in civilized society, seems like the military is a good place for him.

Also, it seems possible he actually likes the military life. If so, good for him.

This guy flies Apaches under fire in Afghanistan and gives a winningly egalitarian explanation for why he’s willing to do it and somehow his comment comparing his duties to video games is proof that he’s “jumped the shark”? What?

People who scoff at comparisons of the Apache to a video game apparently have no idea what sitting in an Apache, with its HUD, gun cameras, tracking systems, and tie ins to other laser missile guidance systems (such as the OH-58 Kiowa), looks like collectively. It really does look like a video game (and not even a terribly modern one) to the pilot, to say nothing of the weapons chief. No lie, if you didn’t know already what the helmet and flight suit for the Apache looks like, you would think it got imagined up for a video game.

Comparisons of AH-64 action to video games are legion, something I’ve heard from nearly every Apache pilot I’ve ever met.

Using the words ‘think’ and ‘Star Jones’ in the same sentence defies the massive evidence of her limited intellectual capacity. She is a bobble-head doll famous as the token fat clown to make the ladies of ‘the View’ appear to be “smart” by comparison.

The more the Today show fools expose themselves for what they are the better off it is for the rest of us. Over time, perhaps more of the spoon-fed will question the “food” being delivered. We can hope, anyway.

Why is anyone in the world taking these nitwits seriously? Not one of them has ever been near a battlefield, and the closest thing to hostile action they ever get is snarky comments about their hair or clothing from other twits with the same IQ factor as their own.

Prince Harry is a man, not a metrosexual, and as a man he deals with life as it is, not as it should be.

I had my cable disconnected during the first week of the new year, and no longer run across this kind of buffoonery by accident. It’s amazingly liberating.

Maybe the English “bad boy” prince should come and live over here. I think a TV show along the lines of “Duck Dynasty” opposite Piers Morgan would be a real hit. We could call it “Duke Dynasty” and he and his team could kill Taliban instead of ducks and squirrels. That would be great!